


Preconceptions and Misconceptions

by kuki



Series: Keith and Lance Start a Family [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alpha Keith (Voltron), Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, M/M, Meet the Family, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Lance (Voltron), Past Child Abuse, overprotective keith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:34:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24856954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuki/pseuds/kuki
Summary: Lance and Keith were at that point in their relationship, the point where Lance was going to introduce Keith to his family. Lance's family has some problems with their son dating an alpha, and one bad dinner turns into months of strain.
Relationships: Keith & Lance's Family (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron), Lance & Lance's Family (Voltron)
Series: Keith and Lance Start a Family [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1021014
Comments: 5
Kudos: 255





	Preconceptions and Misconceptions

**Author's Note:**

> This one was hard to write, it was a lot, so it took a while. So just take it so I can get to writing some gratetuatious smut.
> 
> They talk about the subject of the next chronological smut filled installment, but there's no smut in this installment. It just didn't fit with what is happening.

“Okay, so I should warn you about some things.” Lance said as he watched Keith go through his closet.

Keith paused, glancing back at him. He’d never met Lotor’s parents, he wasn’t in a good place with either of them. This whole meeting the parents thing was pretty new to him, so he was already nervous without Lance giving him warnings.

“I’ve told them about you, but only recently and I haven’t told them a lot about you. Except my sisters, I’ve been telling them stuff this whole time.” Lance looked away under his gaze. “So, they’re going to have a lot of questions from my parents and brothers.”

“Okay?” Keith moved closer. He remembered Shiro telling his parents everything about Adam after the first date, and Matt talked about a new person after just the first conversation.

“No, it’s not because… okay, so I’ve had a lot of shitty relationships that I’ve hyped up to them, and I’ve been scared that since we were playing couple for so long without putting a title on it, you’d just dip and I’d just have gotten their hopes up again.” Lance sighed, rubbing his face. “Family is so important to my family, so getting a serious partner is a big deal to them.”

“I understand. I wasn’t sure that I could do this for a while, but I-… I want this, as long as this, we work, I want you.” Keith sat down next to him. “So, I’m scared too, but I’m so serious about you.”

Lance nodded, still not looking at him. “But also, my family doesn’t like alphas, especially male alphas. They’re both betas, all of older siblings are betas, their partners are betas. I’m the only omega in our extended family, and my parents both have half a dozen siblings each with their own thousand kids or something.”

“My dad’s mom, she was an omega, and his dad was an alpha, who was a fucking bastard who was that terrible caricature of alphas that people talk about. He beat my abuela to death in front of my dad when she said she wouldn’t carry any more of his kids. I’ve been told horror stories all my life of how alphas would treat me, but despite dating some shitty alphas, none of the alphas I know are like that.”

Keith knew an alpha like that, but he didn’t say that, he just grabbed Lance’s hand. “Them liking me, it’s really important to you, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is. Not a deal breaker, but it would be really hard if they didn’t at least tolerate you.” Lance squeezed his hand. “I love you so much, but I’m afraid they’re not going to be able to.”

“I’ll be on my best behavior, because this is important to you. I’m not perfect, but I’d never do something you didn’t want me to, make you do anything.” Keith cupped his cheek.

Lance smiled at him. “Yeah? I’d like to see you try.”

“No way, I’m too weak those pretty blue eyes and your overwhelming scent.” Keith moved his hand down to his scent glands. “But, tell me what I need to do, or not do.”

“Just be you, just love me.”

Keith kissed him. “You make that so easy.”

“Though, maybe try to be aware of your unconscious possessiveness. I don’t have a problem with it, but they might.” Lance put his hand over Keith’s hand on his neck.

Blinking at him, Keith moved his hand down to Lance’s shoulder. “I’ll try, but I am an alpha, and you are an omega, so some of it I can’t help. But I’ll try.”

“I know, I actually really like it, but you’ll win more points with my parents if you reel it in.”

“It should be easier. Usually I see you around other alphas, or people whose scents are on you, like Hunk’s scent is always all over you. But if we’re with your family, all betas, I shouldn’t really have that instinct to show my claim before they can seduce and mark my omega.”

Lance kissed him, a little harder than their previous kiss. “Your omega?”

Humming, Keith just looked at him through his lashes. “Until you decide you don’t want me.”

“And you’re _my_ alpha?”

“To do with as you please, love.”

Lance mumbled something in Spanish before kissing him again. “You should get changed, if we don’t leave soon, we’re going to be late, and we’re going to covered in each other’s sex pheromones.”

Keith moved out of his space. “I’m sure neither of those will help my chances of your parents liking me.”

Once Keith was changed, and Lance was finished checking him out, they were on their way. Lance’s parents didn’t live too far away, but Lance drove since the bike wasn’t really going to make a good first impression on them. On the way, Lance gave him some more information about how the dinner was going to go. Of course, Lance talked about his family extensively, but this was different, this was like all the things that they might do that could upset Keith. It was nice to get the trigger warnings.

“It’s a cute house. You grew up here?” Keith asked as they parked on the street with a bunch of other cars.

“Yeah, I love this house, but when all five of us were still at home it was pretty cramped.” Lance groaned, turning towards him. “Last thing, they hate that I’m not still living at home, Marco and Rachel both still live at home since they’re not married. As the youngest and an omega, they’ve been especially adamant that I should stay at home until I have a mate. The only thing that keeps them from strong arming me home is that they trust Hunk, so don’t mention that he’s moving out and I’ll be living alone soon.”

“Okay, yeah, easy.”

“Okay, let’s do this.” Lance leaned over and gave him a kiss. Then another. “Sorry, nervous.”

“You’re fine, I’m the one who should be nervous.”

“Are you?”

“More than I’ve ever been in my life.”

“I’m here with you.”

When Keith walked into the house, it was like hitting a wall of noise. It felt like a thousand voices, alternating between English and Spanish, but both were so intermingled that it was unintelligible.

Keith squeezed Lance’s hand as they meandered in. Two young women, not too much older than them were standing in the entryway, leaning against the stair railing. They paused in their conversation to smile at them. Both moved over to pull Lance into a hug, greeting him in Spanish.

“You must be Keith, it’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Rachel.” The younger of the two said as she pulled Keith in for a hug. He awkwardly hugged her back.

“He is a cutie.” The older of the two laughed as she looked him up and down.

“Vero!” Lance groaned as he watched Keith’s face go bright red.

“I’m Veronica, Lance has told me so much about you.”

Keith nodded, not quite looking at her. Veronica was probably Lance’s favorite of his siblings since he talked about her the most, or maybe it was just that she was the only one who respected his independence. “You too.”

“Okay so last we knew,” Veronica turned her attention to Lance. “Marco, Nina [Luis’s wife], Antonio [Veronica’s husband], and Zack [Rachel’s fiancé] are in the living room. Luis, Sarah [Marco’s girlfriend], Maya [Luis’s daughter], and mama are in the kitchen. Papa is upstairs with Miguel.”

Lance nodded, reaching for Keith’s hand. “And mama and papa… how are they…?”

The two sisters turned and shared a glance before looking back at Lance.

“Mama’s been muttering to herself that ‘as long as he makes Lance happy’ and she’s made more food than she needed too.” Rachel bit her lip before looking back at Veronica.

“Papa… was still pretty…” Veronica sighed, glancing at the stairs before dropping her volume. “He only stopped yelling when Marco and Sarah got here with the kids.”

Keith squeezed Lance’s hand, moving to touch their shoulders together. He smiled at him when Lance looked towards him. He had to do this, for Lance. Today maybe it wouldn’t go well, but sitting through it would show that they couldn’t scare him away, that he loved Lance.

“Okay, let’s go from the least bad. Marco will probably be the only one in the living room who might be a dick, but I can shut him down pretty easy. The in-laws should be pretty sympathetic.”

“Lance, it’s okay.” Keith rolled his eyes, his smile widening. Seeing Lance on the verge of panic was not helping Keith’s own nerves, but he had to calm Lance down. This would never go well if they were off their game. And of course, it made Keith want to fight something when Lance was so clearly upset, and that wouldn’t do them any favors. “I’m excited to meet your family, even if some of them are going to be a little…”

“Hostile.” Rachel supplied.

“Act like fucking asshole?” Veronica more aptly suggested.

Lance groaned again.

“Just put them in their place Lance.” Veronica gave his shoulder a light punch as she winked at him. “I know you have it in you.”

“And Vero and I are here to back you up, and as a safe haven.” Rachel smiled at him, patting his cheek.

“Thanks guys. Come on Keith.”

“I’m with you.” Keith pressed a kiss to Lance’s cheek.

Veronica and Rachel both ‘awed’ at them as Lance pulled Keith into the living room.

Adults were littered around the living. They were in the middle of laughing, at Marco’s expense by his expression. Lance pulled him over to the couch where the only woman in the room was sitting. The ladies of the family were apparently where Lance felt the safest. It made sense, being an omega and being fairly effeminate.

“Lance!” The group erupted in a chorus when they finished laughing and they noticed him.

“And this must be the new boyfriend!” Nina motioned for them to sit with her as she scooted over. She introduced herself, and then Zack and Antonio.

Both of the male in-laws smiled at him and held out hands to shake before he squeezed between Lance and the arm of the small couch.

Marco was giving him a cold look. “So glad your alpha could finally bring you to see your family.”

Keith felt Lance tense up beside him and put a steadying hand on his knee. With the touch, Lance’s posture changed, and when Keith looked at him, there was fire in those blue eyes.

“Marco, I’ve been here for almost every family dinner since Keith and I started seeing each other, and it was never because of Keith when I couldn’t make it.” Lance leaned towards him. “Keith is a part of my life, and he’s going to be here with me, and if you can’t at least be kind to him, then it’ll be you keeping me away.”

Lance’s older brother blinked at him for a few moments before smiling. “But can you say that to Mama, or Papa.”

Swearing in Spanish, Lance leaned into Keith. “You’re such a jerk.”

“Sorry bud, but seriously. They’re going to be a hard sell. And I’m not saying that I’m totally on board with this whole alpha thing, but you know how they feel about this.”

Groaning, Lance buried his face into Keith’s shoulder. Keith reached up, running his fingers through his hair.

“Okay, but Marco, how can you say that you’re ‘not on board’ when they’re so cute, just look at them.” Antonio smacked him lightly.

“I’m going to give him a chance, and you’re right, they’re adorable.” Marco rolled his eyes before looking at Keith. “So, tell us about yourself, Mr. Alpha.”

Keith blinked at him, letting out a drawn out “Uhhh.”

“Dude, what is with you McClains, just asking for everyone’s life story.” Nina reached around Lance and touched Keith’s shoulder. “Don’t stress too much.”

“I actually spouted my entire life story when they asked me that.” Zack rubbed the back of his neck. “Totally embarrassing.”

“Okay, what’s your family like? Do you see them often?”

Keith swallowed hard, glancing at Marco. Lance had made it very clear how important family was to his whole family, so the true answer probably wasn’t the right one. “My adoptive parents and I had a pretty big falling out when I was eighteen, and I’ve been seen them for holidays recently. My older brother and I are really close though, we live together, and he’s helped me through a lot of my shit.”

“You met Shiro when you visited me at school a few times Marco.” Lance took Keith’s hand.

“Oh, yeah, the older alpha. He was pretty cool.” Marco shrugged. “But your parents, what was the fight about?”

Keith sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “I-I… I had a bad influence in my life, he convinced me that… that I didn’t need anyone else, that I didn’t need them. He convinced me to drop out of school. Shiro was thickheaded enough to keep himself inserted in my life, enough that he helped me get back on track.”

Lance squeezed his hand, releasing his pheromones just enough to keep him calm, but not enough that the beta around him would pick up on it.

“So, you don’t have a high school diploma?” Nina gave him a sympathetic look.

“I’ve been taking night classes, at Lance’s insistence.” Keith looked at Lance fondly. “But yeah, it’s been hard not having one.”

“Have you thought about going to college, once you get your GED?” Marco leaned forward, looking genuinely interested.

“I’ve thought about it… but I don’t know what I’d want to go for. Being an astronaut doesn’t seem as attainable as when I was a kid.” Keith’s shoulders slumped. “One of my jobs is at a garage, so I was thinking of going for that.”

“You know, Lance wanted to be an astronaut when he was a kid.” Marco grinned at him.

“I didn’t.” Keith perked up, nudging Lance with a smile.

Lance’s face reddened just a little as he smiled back at Keith.

Their conversation was interrupted by a woman coming into the living room, speaking hurried and angry Spanish. “Mijo, Lance. Why didn’t you come say hola to your mama?”

Lance stood up, Keith standing up with him. He replied in sheepish Spanish. After Lance’s mother spoke again, Keith was being pulled into the kitchen.

Sara gave the two of them a sheepish wave as she vacated the kitchen, whispering a ‘nice to meet you’ and an introduction before leaving the kitchen.

“Tio Lance!” The little girl squealed as she was held by Luis.

“Hey Maya.” He walked over, hugging her and his brother.

“Who’s that?” She pointed at Keith.

“This is Keith, my boyfriend.” Lance motioned over Keith.

Keith hadn’t been around kids since he was one, and even then, he didn’t spend much time with his younger foster siblings. “Hello.”

She seemed to look him up and down. “He’s pretty, are you sure he’s not your girlfriend?”

Lance and Luis both laughed. Keith felt himself going beet red.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, she’s…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s not like I haven’t heard it before, and I can’t be mad at such a cutie.” Keith smiled at her.

“Papa, did I say something wrong?”

“No, but we should talk, why don’t we go talk so Abuela can talk to Keith and Lance, okay?”

“But!”

“We’ll see him later, you can sit next to them at dinner.” Luis reassured as he carried his daughter out.

“Now!” Lance’s mother said as she turned to the stove to continue to cook. “You come into my home and you don’t come and say hello to your own mother?”

“Mama… I just…” Lance took a few deep breaths. “I wanted to ease Keith into it.”

She turned to glare at him, and then at Keith. The intensity made him look away, hanging his head so he could see it.

Lance was saying something in Spanish, but she cut him off. Keith didn’t understand what was being said to his boyfriend, but he didn’t like it. He was putting everything to not growl at his omega’s mother.

After not a short argument, his mother eventually sighed, motioned towards the other door. “Go talk to your father, I want to talk to your boyfriend.”

“Mama.”

“I’ll be fine Lance.” Keith smiled at him encouragingly.

Making an annoyed noise before kissing his cheek before disappearing out of the room.

“So, alpha.”

Keith widened his stance, as if he was preparing for a physical fight. “Mrs. McClain.”

“What are your intentions with my son?” She turned to glare at him again.

“Ma’am, I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t serious about him. I love your son, and I have no idea what I’m doing, but Lance and I are partners, we’re building this together.” He said as he stared back at her. “This is new to both of us, so saying that we’re going to get married or bonded, is a little much, but I’m not planning on going anywhere.”

Blinking at him, she sighed again. Eventually she turned back to the pots on the stove. “Have you ever been with an omega before?”

“No. Lance is my first anything.”

“So you don’t know anything about omegas?”

“I’ve been told my whole life that I’d present as an omega, being so small and feminine looking, so I know plenty about how his body works. What I don’t know is how to be with an omega, how to be a good alpha, but I’m trying to take care of him.”

She dropped the spoon, wiping her hands on her apron. Her eyes were looking him up and down, and then into his eyes. “How old were you when you presented?”

“Seventeen.” Keith sighed, crossing his arms across his chest. “I know Lance was really young when he presented.”

“Twelve. It’s been hard for him, for all of us.” She leaned on the counter. “But he’s always put on a strong face, but we’ve all been worried, about him getting taken advantage of because an alpha was giving him the right pheromones, bonded with him. Where my husband and I grew up, there still aren’t protections for omegas.”

“I would never manipulate him like that, or bond with him without his express permission.” Honestly, Lance was the one who usually used his pheromones to get the right emotional response out of Keith. Keith didn’t mind though, usually it was either to get him turned on or to calm him down. “I understand why you’re all concerned, there are a lot of alphas who still think of omegas as property no matter how much the law has progressed. But what Lance is isn’t… if he was a beta, or an alpha, I’d still choose to treat him the same. My instincts and some of my reactions that I can’t control are different because he’s an omega, but he’s a person first, my partner.”

She seemingly deflated, going back to stirring her pot. It seemed like she was processing what he had said, thinking of something to say herself. Keith stood there awkward, his eyes wondering around the kitchen of his boyfriend’s childhood home.

Then something hit him. It was a faint scent, and it took him a moment before his alpha brain told him what it was. Lance was _scared_. Rational thought and everything Lance had told him would’ve told him that Lance’s father would never hurt him, that it probably wasn’t fear of physical harm, but his instincts were pushing away his rational thought. His omega was scared, alone with a man who was angry. He needed to protect Lance.

In a different part of his brain, he registered Lance’s mom yelling his name as he ran out of the kitchen, of Rachel and Veronica asking him confused questions as he passed through them to get up the stairs. Lance needed him.

With his senses on edge, he could smell a baby in one of the rooms he passed and noted to do his best not to disturb it, if he could help it. But Lance was straight ahead, past the partially open door. As he could get closer, he could hear yelling. It was in Spanish, but he did pick up a few words, particularly the hate filled word for ‘alpha’.

He pushed opened the door as the scent of Lance’s anxiety and fear only got stronger as he approached. Lance was on the ground of what was probably his parents’ bedroom, looking like he’d been pushed down; his face was a mess of tears and he was shaking with the force of his sobs. His father was standing over him, pointing down menacingly as he continued screaming.

Keith growled without thinking. The man’s angry yelling stopped as he turned towards the door, frozen at the noise. Lance looked at him, pausing in his sobs enough to say Keith’s name.

He walked over to Lance, keeping his eyes locked on the man to keep him still, helping him to his feet and holding him close. It took a bit of concentration to push back his instincts to actually speak to his boyfriend. “Lance, are you okay?”

Lance held onto him like he was a lifeline, glancing at his father, who seemed to be recovering from the moment of fear of hearing an alpha growl. Keith felt guilty for a moment after remembering that the man’s father had been the worst kind of alpha and an alpha’s growl had probably come accompanied by a beating or two.

“You can’t just come in here and-…” The man started yelling again.

Flinching, Lance buried his face in Keith’s shoulder. Keith tightened his hold on his omega just a little as he brought a hand up to pet through his hair. His gaze was back on Lance’s father, glaring at him.

“No. You upset him enough that I could smell it, Mr. McClain. He was scared.” Keith cut off the man, narrowing his glare even more. “I don’t care who you are, or what you think of me, you don’t get to hurt Lance like that.”

Surprise flooded the man’s face, but then his own eyes narrowed into a nasty gaze. “You fucking alphas-…!”

“Yeah? I’m an alpha, and you don’t have to like me, for all I care, you can fucking hate me, but you’re not going to treat Lance like this.”

Keith wasn’t really sure what was being yelled now, he was instead focused on the familiar movements. He grabbed the man’s wrist as he brought his arm around to punch him. If it had landed, the man was too angry to control his movements, it would’ve been Lance who had actually taken the blow.

Lance unburied his face when he felt Keith’s arm leave him, and he made a very distressed noise as he watched his father pull out of Keith’s grip. “Keith. I want to leave.”

Keith just grunted in agreement, keeping his attention on the threat. His arm wrapped around Lance’s shoulders so he could lead him out.

“You’re not leaving with that alpha!”

“That is not up to you, it’s up to Lance.” Keith growled again. If it came down to a fight, he would easily win, but he really didn’t want to fight his boyfriend’s father, especially not in front of him.

“How dare you!”

“Papa. I’m leaving.” Lance’s hands were shaking as he held onto Keith’s shirt, tears still streaming down his cheeks, but his voice was strong. “And if you want me to come back, you’re going to let Keith take me home.”

The man sputtered for a moment, glaring at the two of them as he moved back slightly.

As Keith lead Lance out, he looked over at his shoulder, still very much on edge.

Lance’s mom was standing at the bottom of the stairs, with her daughter. All three women took a step towards them, but Keith just gave them a soft glare.

“I’m taking Lance home.” He huffed. “I’m sorry.”

All three of them nodded, though Lance’s mom looked almost as angry as her husband was.

Once Keith got Lance settled into the passenger seat, he drove them home. He apologized to Lance, who just curled up and sobbed the whole way home.

“Do you want me to stay?” Keith asked as Lance went straight to his room, stripping and pulling on his pajamas.

“Yes.” Lance wiped his eyes as he crawled into his bed. “I need my alpha.”

Keith nodded as he removed his clothes, leaving his boxers and t-shirt. He got into bed with him, and Lance immediately clung to him. “I’m sorry.”

“No. I’m sorry… I thought that…” Lance shook his head. “I’ve never seen my dad like that, I-I… when he pushed me down, I thought he would actually hurt me.”

Kissing the top of his head, Keith held him tightly, shushing him. There really wasn’t anything he could say in the moment.

Lance had cried himself to sleep when the doorbell rang a few hours later. It was late now. Keith kissed his forehead and untangled himself from his boyfriend. There was a bit of feeling of dread in his stomach as he looked through the peephole of the door.

Lance’s mother, Tupperware in hand. Keith latched the chain just in case she wasn’t alone and his father was standing just out of view.

“Mrs. McClain?” Keith asked as he looked through the gap in the door.

“Keith, it’s just me, not that my husband didn’t try to stop me from coming here. You and Lance didn’t get a chance to eat.”

He nodded and shut the door again, to undo the chain.

“Where’s Lance?” She asked once Keith closed the door behind her.

“A sleep. He went straight to bed when I got him back, not doing any of his routine.” Keith was watching her carefully.

“My husband-…”

“You don’t need to explain, I understand, but that doesn’t mean that…” He crossed his arms and looked away. “Lance was scared that he was actually going to hurt him. I’ve been hurt my people who should’ve been my parents, so I don’t know if I can ever forgive your husband.”

She stood there, staring at him for a while, before she nodded. He looked up when he heard her moving, towards the kitchen. Keith followed her, leaning against the island as she put the food she had brought in the fridge.

“I should get back, it’s late.” She walked over to him, a small smile on her face as she looked at him. “Please, take care of my son. Clearly he feels safe with you.”

“You don’t need to ask Mrs. McClain.”

“Thank you.” She hugged him, and his eyes went wide. She pulled away before he was able to hug her back.

He followed her out to lock the door behind her.

When he returned to the room, Lance looked less peaceful than when he left him. The moment he was back in bed, Lance was practically wrapped around him. Keith kissed his forehead and then his lips lightly.

“I have you.” Keith shushed him before closing his eyes and letting himself get some sleep.

The next morning, Lance was poking around his kitchen when Keith woke up.

“Where did this come from?” Lance pulled out of the containers.

“Your mom stopped by last night after you fell asleep. She didn’t want to wake you.” Keith leaned against the counters as he watched his boyfriend’s eyes go wide. “But she did want to make sure you were okay… and I think the food was a peace offering for me.”

Lance nodded, looking at the container. A forced smile spread on his face. “Well, at least you won mama over.”

Keith walked over and wrapped him in a tight hug.

~*~*~*~*~*~

It had been two months since the incident at the McClain house. Keith and Lance had plenty of dinner with every member of the family except Lance’s father, all at restaurants or Veronica’s house. The majority of the McClain family liked Keith now, and Keith could see how happy it made Lance every time one of his siblings or his mother did something to show it.

But Lance’s dad was still a problem. And it was wearing on Lance, therefore it was wearing on Keith. Lance had spoken on the phone with his dad a few times, but even when it ended civil, it ended with them screaming and Lance eventually hanging up on his father. Lance’s mother and brothers were trying to make excuses for him, and his sisters didn’t have any helpful advice even if they were a little less forgiving of their father’s actions.

“He wants to meet me, and talk.” Lance said as he came back into the living room. It was probably the first phone call that didn’t end in hateful words.

“Of course I’m not going to tell you that you can’t go see your dad, but I’m not sure I feel comfortable with that.” Keith sighed as Lance sat down next to him.

“Me either.” Lance crossed one of his arms over himself. “But he’s my dad, and I feel like it’s going to be easier to explain to him in person.”

“If you’re going to go, please don’t go alone.” Keith took one of his hands.

“I’ll take Vero and Luis. I feel like they’ll be the ones to best help him understand. And we’ll go to a restaurant, so social rules will keep him from blowing up too much.” Lance looked up at him.

Keith nodded approvingly.

Lance groaned and fell into his boyfriend. “This is so stupid. Like I get he’s scared of alphas, but he knew when I presented that it’d probably be an alpha I’d be with. Most of my brain and body is wired to submit to an alpha.”

Keith couldn’t help but laugh as he held Lance. “I wouldn’t exactly call what you did last night ‘submitting’.”

“What can I say, I’m a modern, independent omega who doesn’t need an alpha.” Lance nuzzled into Keith’s scent gland. “But is really happy with the one I have.”

Humming, Keith kissed the top of his head. “I love you.”

“You better.”

“Actually, there’s been something I’ve been meaning to…” Keith bit his lip, and Lance looked up at him with the pause. “Something I’d like to try.”

Lance just raised his eyebrows in response.

“Now might not really be the right time to really bring it up, but with you talking about ‘submitting’ and being a ‘modern omega’…”

“This is a sex thing right?” Lance rolled his eyes as he smiled.

“Yeah.”

“What is it? Because I’m up for almost anything.” He moved into Keith’s lap and grinned down at him.

“I want to submit to you.” Keith wrapped his arms around the omega’s waist. “I trust you, and we’re on equal footing in this partnership.”

Lance’s grin fell as he furrowed his brows. “Wait. Are you saying you want me… to fuck… you?”

Keith nodded, swallowing hard.

“I-I… I’ve never… given to an alpha or another guy, only to female betas and omegas…” Lance leaned back a little.

“Hey, that’s okay. I just want to do this with you.” Keith brought a hand up to Lance’s face, smiling at him. “And it’s okay if you’re not comfortable with it, or if you need some time.”

“Have you ever…?” Lance was worrying his bottom lip.

“I’ve played around with it myself, enough to know that I’ll enjoy it.”

“I’m… ya’know…” Lance motioned to his crotch.

“I love your cock.” Keith sighed as he pulled Lance back a little closer. He knew Lance was a little insecure with his dick, which was unusually huge for an omega, a little bigger than the average beta. The ideal omega was supposed to have a tiny dick, and it was supposed to be a turn on when an alpha berated them for having such a small dick. “I want to know what it feels like inside me, you’ll make me so full, like I make you.”

Lance whined as he pressed into his shoulder. “Keith.”

Laughing, Keith hugged him tightly, kissing the side of his head. “Yes Lance?”

“I think I need some time to wrap my head around the idea.”

“No pressure, whenever you’re up for it, if you’re up for.” Keith gently wrapped a hand around the back of his neck, guiding his head so he could kiss him on the lips.

“I love you.” Lance smiled at him.

“I love you.”

Lance kissed him then, a little harder.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Keith was under a car when his boss came in calling for him.

“What’s up?” He yelled back, pausing in his wrenching, taking the flashlight out of his mouth.

“There’s someone here to see you.”

“Who is it?” His boss knew Shiro and Lance, the two most likely people to come into the shop to see him.

“Some older Mexican guy, something McClain.”

Keith rolled out from under the car after dropping the wrench on his face. It was going to leave a bruise later, but at the moment he didn’t really feel the pain. “He’s Cuban.”

His boss blinked at him.

“Uh, it’s Lance’s dad… I didn’t think he’d know where I worked.”

“Your omega’s dad? Didn’t you mention a while back that you and him had a bit of an altercation? You want me to tell him to get the hell of my shop?”

“No. I-I… I’m going to take my lunch.” Keith wiped off his hands, ignoring that they were shaking.

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

“If I hear yelling from the side lot, I’m kicking his ass.” His boss crossed his arms.

Keith couldn’t help but smile as he walked into through the office, pausing as he spotted Mr. McClain in the parking lot, looking tense.

His lunch with Lance a few weeks before ended short when the man had called his own son a slur, one that Keith had to look up later when Lance had said it to him through his tears. Keith had been called his fair share of omega slurs as a younger teen, but not that one.

Frankly, Keith wanted to beat the man to a pulp, but he was going to try to be the bigger person.

Taking a breath through his nose, he put his hand on the door to push it open. “Patience yields focus.”

“Keith.” There was a bit of venom in how the man said his name, but he looked kind of desperate as he looked up at the alpha.

Keith crossed his arms, coming to stop a few feet away from him. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m probably the last person you want to see, but-…”

Keith put a hand out to stop him when he saw a regular customer pull in. “Not out here.” He nodded for the man to follow him around to the side of the building, where cars that were waiting to be worked on or picked up were stored. “Now. What the hell do you want?”

“Lance, my other children, they’re not speaking to me.”

“I’m not surprised, after what you called Lance.” Keith glared at him, leaning against the wall of the building. “You’re probably lucky that he talked Vero out of telling your wife.”

The man just looked down, nodding very slightly.

“Just tell me what you want? You didn’t come and interrupt me while I’m working just to complain that your kids hate you.”

“They-…” He sighed, looking back up at Keith. “I don’t want to lose my son.”

“You pushed him away.”

“I know. I know. I tried to blame you, tell myself that you were keeping him from me, but… I let my prejudices and my fears get in the way, and I hurt him. My wife, she comes back from seeing the two of you talking about you, and what you do for him, and it’s just been making me mad, but... Alphas are…”

“ _I_ love Lance. Whatever you think of alphas, you don’t know _me_ , or anything about my relationship with him.” Keith rolled his eyes.

“I know-…”

“No. You don’t know, and you might never know, because you won’t listen to him when he explains it to you.”

A few moments of silence passed between them, but Mr. McClain took a few steps towards him. “So you explain it.”

Keith stared at him for a beat but nodded. “Lance is a strong man.”

“He’s an-…”

“He’s an independent, strong willed man. Yes, he is biologically an omega, but it’s not why I’m with him. Lance makes his own decisions, he doesn’t take anyone’s shit, he’s always ready with a joke or words of encouragement, his smile is infectious, he can help without even knowing he’s doing anything, he just cares so damn much about everything he does, he knows what he wants even if he doesn’t think he can achieve it, he makes me feel safe, he loves his family so much.” Keith watched at the man’s eyes got wide as he continued listing what he loved about Lance. “Yeah, me being an alpha and him being an omega helps with our compatibility, but it’s not that simple. He isn’t some submissive little thing, and it’s one of my favorite things about it. Lance would never let me control him. We make decisions together for our life, and he helps me make decisions for my life when I get stuck in my head. Lance has done so much for me without ever being asked, without realizing what he was doing for me. I would do anything for him. As long as he wants me, I’m not going anywhere Mr. McClain. I love your son.”

Mr. McClain closed his eyes tightly. “I-I… I’m sorry Keith. I judged you before I knew… I judged you based on my prejudices of alphas, judged my own son on…”

“Thank you for the apology.” Keith moved away from the wall. “But I don’t forgive you. The way you hurt Lance, it will take a lot more than a half-assed apology before I trust you.”

“I-I… And Lance?”

“Whether or not Lance forgives you is up to him. He still wants a relationship with you, he loves you, looks up to you still.” Keith turned away. “You treating him the way you have been has been ripping him apart, so if I were you I’d think about how to show him that you’re sorry.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

“I’ll be civil for Lance, but if you hurt him again,” Keith turned back to glare at him, “I may not be able to control my instincts to tear you apart next time. Our relationship may not be based on our natures, but I am an alpha and I consider him my omega. I will protect him.”

The man nodded, looking terrified. He deserved to feel a little bit of fear he’d

“I have to get back to work.”

Keith didn’t mention his little talk with the man to Lance, but a few days later, Lance mentioned that he got a call from his dad with a fairly sincere apology and talked to him for a while. Apparently, he was willing to give ‘that alpha of yours’ a chance if Lance was willing to give him a second chance. Of course, Keith easily agreed for the two of them to meet with him, if unhappily.

The apology was much more sincere than the one he’d received outside of his workplace, but Keith still wasn’t ready to forgive the man. Lance did, and that was okay. It was his father, and even if he had done a lot of harm, he had the best of intentions.

Eventually Keith and Lance’s father might even get along. They had a lot in common according to Lance and the rest of the McClain family. But for the moment, Keith only smiled and shook his hand for Lance’s sake.


End file.
